Wall-to-wall or broadloom carpet has been a popular floor covering for many years. However, the methods of installing wall-to-wall carpet have not changed much over the years. Typically, wall-to-wall carpet is installed by nailing tack strips around the periphery of a room in which the carpet is to be installed. If the carpet does not include an integral cushion or pad, a separate cushioning pad may then be placed on the floor between the tack strips. The carpet is cut to a size slightly larger than the actual size of the room. One edge of the carpet is then secured to the tack strips adjacent that edge and trimmed with a knife to exact size, usually to fit under a baseboard. The carpet is then stretched so that it is under tension and the opposite edge of the carpet is secured to the tack strip adjacent that opposite wall. A similar procedure is followed to secure the lateral edges of the carpet. The carpet is then trimmed to the exact dimensions of the room so that the carpet extends from wall-to-wall.
It is necessary to stretch wall-to-wall carpet when it is installed so that the carpet will not wrinkle, pucker, buckle or otherwise assume a non-planar shape due to dimensional changes of the carpet. Since the carpet is bounded on opposite ends by fixed walls, any significant increase in the length of the carpet due to increases in humidity or moisture conditions will produce wrinkling, puckering or buckling of the carpet. Therefore, carpets are usually stretched or “kicked in” during installation to avoid problems associated with humidity or moisture induced dimensional changes.
Stretching of wall-to-wall carpet does not always solve the problem of wrinkling or buckling of the carpet over time. Frequently, wall-to-wall carpets must be re-stretched due to elongation of the carpet under tension.
Due to the disadvantages of the tack strip method of installing wall-to-wall carpet, alternative methods of installation have been developed. One such alternative method is to glue the carpet to the floor with an adhesive. However, when the carpet is removed, particularly carpet that includes an integral, cushioning pad, a significant residue is left on the floor requiring relatively large amounts of labor to prepare the floor for a subsequent installation of another floor covering. Furthermore, like tack-strip installed carpet, glued-down carpet cannot be removed easily for cleaning.
Another alternative method of installation of wall-to-wall carpet is the hooks and loops, such as Velcro, method of installation. Instead of installing tack strips around the periphery of a room, strips of either hooks or loops are glued to the floor. Corresponding mating strips of hooks or loops are then glued or otherwise attached to the edge of the carpet so that when the strip on the floor is contacted with the strip on the carpet, the hooks and loops will form a temporary mechanical bond.
The traditional methods of installing wall-to-wall carpet described above have several disadvantages. First, they are labor intensive and time consuming processes, and, therefore, are relatively expensive to perform. Second, installation is relatively permanent; therefore, the carpet cannot be easily removed for cleaning. Third, installation requires special tools. Fourth, the installation is not conducive to working with combinations of carpets, colors and the like, for design development and color contrast visual effects. Last, the take-up and removal of traditionally installed carpet is a relatively significant portion of the cost of replacing carpet. Thus, a need exists for an improved method of installing wall-to-wall carpet that overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art.
Carpet tile was thought to be one solution to the problems of installation and removal of wall-to-wall or broadloom carpet. However, due to cupping and doming problems sometimes associated with carpet tile, they are frequently installed using traditional adhesive products. The use of adhesive makes the removal of carpet tile labor intensive and therefore expensive.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,012,261; 6,438,908 and 6,591,578 (the disclosures of which are all incorporated herein by reference) disclose systems for installing wall-to-wall carpet without the use of traditional adhesives or tack strips. Although these patents demonstrate a significant advance over the prior art, the present invention represents the next generation of this technology.
Other floor covering products such as wood, wood laminate, ceramic tile, vinyl sheeting, vinyl tile, stone, brick and marble frequently use adhesives or other permanent or semi-permanent methods of installation, and are difficult and expensive to remove. With some of these products, the removal process is so difficult that the floor covering product is damaged or destroyed in the removal process.
It would, therefore, be desirable to provide a floor covering system that can easily be applied and removed from floor surfaces without the use of traditional adhesives or tack strips. It would also be desirable to provide a floor covering system that can be removed from a floor surface without significantly damaging the floor covering product or the floor surface to which it is applied. It would also be desirable to provide a floor covering system that can be used with a variety of different floor covering materials.